"Lin Yu!"
The Great Shaman exclaimed, followed by a disdainful sneer on his face: "I wondered who it was—so you're the one playing tricks here!"
"You're that Lin Yu who was defeated by us in Southern Wilderness, became a cripple, and was confined here to guard the imperial mausoleum?"
Tuoba Hong spoke arrogantly, not taking the crippled Lin Yu seriously at all.
"So it's the Southern Wilderness Great Shaman. In that battle back then, if someone hadn't ambushed me, you would've died by my sword long ago!"
Lin Yu chuckled, sweeping his gaze past the Great Shaman to Tuoba Hong.
He had heard about the imperial banquet where Chuchu defeated the Southern Wilderness Young Lord. Based on his knowledge of the Southern Wilderness barbarians, he had long guessed that the Young Lord wouldn't accept defeat and would surely seek revenge on Chuchu.
However, the imperial city was heavily guarded with protective formations. Their only chance was to strike when Chuchu came to the imperial mausoleum. Unexpectedly, not only the Southern Wilderness Young Lord but also the Great Shaman—who had almost perished by his sword—had come.
"The present is different from the past. Now I'm a Master of the Innate Realm, while you're just a cripple. I could crush you with one finger!"
The Great Shaman's face darkened, his sore spot hit by Lin Yu. He wished he could tear Lin Yu to pieces.
"Great Shaman, let's not waste words with him!"
Tuoba Hong was eager to act, sneering: "Where's Chuchu? Where have you hidden her? Bring her out to die!"
"Keep your voices down. Don't wake Chuchu. She's cultivating. As her uncle, I'll deal with you nuisances for her."
Lin Yu spoke calmly, his tone so平淡 (plain) that no killing intent could be heard, as if he were merely stating an ordinary matter.
The Great Shaman and Tuoba Hong were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! A cripple dares to claim he'll deal with us? Lin Yu, it seems that when your dantian and spiritual sea were destroyed, your mind was addled too!"
They couldn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from Lin Yu, confirming he was a cripple. Their gazes were filled with mockery and contempt. Even the other barbarians jeered, looking at Lin Yu like he was a madman.
"Young Lord, Great Shaman, why bother with a mere cripple? Leave him to us. You should go find that little girl!"
"Right! Any one of us can handle him. Why waste time on a cripple?"
Others chimed in, eyeing Lin Yu like hungry wolves—an easy opportunity for merit.
"Fine. First, break all his bones. After the Young Lord deals with the girl, I'll come back and watch him die slowly before me."
The Great Shaman nodded, then swaggered with Tuoba Hong toward the stone house behind Lin Yu.
"Go! Let's take care of this guy first!"
The other barbarians grinned viciously and advanced on Lin Yu.
The Great Shaman and Tuoba Hong exchanged a smile, eager to see Lin Yu's downfall.
BOOM!
At that moment, a terrifying pressure surged from Lin Yu, crashing down like a mountain on the barbarian warriors.
THUD!
Horror filled the barbarians' faces as their knees gave way, forcing them to kneel heavily.
CRACK!
The instant they knelt, the immense pressure shattered their knees. Then the pressure descended like a grinding wheel, slowly crushing them into blood mist.
"S-something's wrong..."
The Great Shaman's face changed drastically. He turned to look at Lin Yu, eyes widening in terror. Where the barbarians had stood, there was only a drifting cloud of blood mist, the stench of blood filling the mausoleum.
Tuoba Hong stared at Lin Yu in disbelief. These Southern Wilderness warriors were handpicked, at least Rank 6 Martial Artists, with some even Rank 8 or 9. Yet Lin Yu had instantly crushed them into blood mist with mere pressure.
Glancing at each other, the Great Shaman and Tuoba Hong wondered: How strong was Lin Yu really?
"Are you... really Lin Yu?"
The Great Shaman's face turned铁青 (iron-blue). He had witnessed Lin Yu's ambush and the destruction of his dantian. No one had ever recovered from such injuries to cultivate, let alone become stronger. He doubted if this was truly Lin Yu.
"As genuine as it gets."
Lin Yu smiled faintly, eyeing the Great Shaman and Tuoba Hong: "Now it's your turn to meet your end."
"Young Lord, show your true power! Let's join forces against him!"
The Great Shaman whispered urgently to Tuoba Hong, signaling him to use the Spirit Fire Jade Pendant.
"Right!"
Tuoba Hong took out a crimson jade pendant shaped like a flame from his belt. Clutching it, scarlet flames surged from the pendant, coiling around him and boosting his aura. In an instant, he broke through the Innate Realm and stopped at Innate Rank 5.
The Great Shaman sneered: "Lin Yu, I admit I misjudged you. You hid your strength. But you never expected the Young Lord to hide his too! Together, we'll kill you today!"
Tuoba Hong laughed arrogantly: "Lin Yu, come and die!"
This Spirit Fire Jade Pendant was a treasure he found in an ancient Southern Wilderness秘境 (secret realm). Carrying it allowed him to borrow a wisp of Innate Spiritual Energy, enough to crush peers and even defeat Rank 9 Martial Artists. Fully activating it could temporarily raise his power to Innate Rank 5—at the cost of being unable to use its power for three months. This was Tuoba Hong's trump card and his confidence to kill Chuchu.
"Lin Yu, today is your death day!"
The Great Shaman grinned savagely. With a low shout, his狂暴 (fierce) Innate Qi surged, revealing a strength even greater than Tuoba Hong's—Innate Rank 6.
"Is this all you've got? Hardly impressive."
Lin Yu said calmly.
"Arrogant to the end! Die!"
Tuoba Hong roared, flames erupting from his body as he charged like a fire meteor toward Lin Yu. The ground beneath him blackened from scorching heat, and surrounding plants withered, their life force seemingly drained by the scarlet flames.
The Great Shaman's eyes glinted with杀意 (killing intent). Seven black mists burst from his sleeves like arrows, aiming for Lin Yu's vital points. These mists were not only razor-sharp but also laden with Southern Wilderness poison—even a master stronger than the Great Shaman would melt into blood if exposed to a trace. To kill Lin Yu, he held nothing back, unleashing his deadliest move.